Rock, metal and Horror : Halloween special

This is the season that some people look forward to!

Blood, paranormal, spiders and other zombies. In a word: HALLOWEEN!

And it must be said that the themes addressed during this festivity are closely related to rock and metal!

So prepare to shudder with fear by finding out what’s in this post.

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on some of my knowledge and is backed up and supplemented by research done before its writing. You can find the sources at the bottom of the page.

First, I want to say that this post is not about horror films. I know nothing about it because, in contradiction with what I write here, I am absolutely not a fan of horror movies (but I love metal). So if I do not name all the possible and imaginable movies “fittable” in this article, it is normal!

Rock/ metal and horror movie: where does the link start?

First, both are niche/underground genres at the beginning.

But it’s important to note that when Black Sabbath becomes Black Sabbath the link is made between rock/metal music and horror. And this, for various points:

The band’s name is directly inspired by Mario Bava’s 1962 horror movie… Black Sabbath!
The eponym song of the eponym album is considered as one of the first scary songs (the use of the triton, in addition, makes its effect). Moreover, it is to Geezer Buttler that we owe the inspiration for this song. It comes from a demonic vision that the latter had during the night.
The group’s words have a dark and terrifying atmosphere.

So, with this information, we can see that rock/ metal and horror have been connected since the beginning of metal.

This is consistent with the words of Dani Filth (singer of Cradle of Filth) who says that metal has always had a dark atmosphere with the use of minor chords. An atmosphere that is also reflected in the horror.

Caricature Dani Filth, rock-metal-horror

Rock/metal artists horror movie fans?

Many bands and artists of these genres are horror films fans. They draw inspiration from the gore, horror etc. for their lyrics or their videos.

But not only that!

Let’s take the example of Alice Cooper. His legendary look is inspired by Bette Davis and his terrifying look of madness in the 1962 movie What Happened To Baby Jane? But one can also notice the taste for horror of Alice Cooper during his concerts. In his shows, we could see:

Live snakes,
Alice Cooper forced to wear a straitjacket
Or guillotine run simulations.

He will influence the Kiss group. They will propel make-up, disguises, pyrotechnics and blood spitting to millions of people.

We can’t miss Slipknot, either. Nine guys arriving on stage with masks (made by a professional in the horror world). Guys who could appear in a movie of the genre.

There is also Cradle of Filth who pays tribute to the horror writer Lovecraft with their black metal both gothic and romantic.

In addition, some artists organize conventions on horror. I am thinking of Kirk Hammett and the band Ice Nine Kills.

Caricature Ice Nine Kills, rock-metal-horror

Some of these factors lead us to the next point:

Elements of horror in rock/metal music

Body and face painting

First, with Alice Cooper, Kiss and Cradle of Filth, we touched face and body painting. The latter was first very popular in Black Metal. White face and black eye contour, the goal was to look like living corpses (like zombies before zombies). Then the face and corpse painting made its way into the music in general. Today bands like Motionless In White, Black Veil Bride, or New Years Day keep the tradition of this make-up going.

Caricature New Years Day, rock-metal-horror

Note

As long as we mention Black Metal. I will make a whole post about it, but when it comes to horror, they did not go in for half measures.

Terrifying show and violent lifestyle, this is the daily life of artists of the first wave of Black Metal. During the shows, one could find self-mutilation and dead animal heads. Off-shows, burning churches, and murder could be on the front page of the mainstream press. Very joyful, isn’t it!

Masks

Then, with Slipknot, the subject of masks was raised. Masks allow for keeping secret the identity of people (well for Slipknot, it’s missed) and also to add an element of entertainment compared to the horror. Other groups using masks include Mushroomhead, Ghost, or Slaughter to Prevail.

Also, a small mention of Gwar disguised with masks of monsters/demons, costumes covering only the bare minimum of their bodies, and scenography with acts of violence and fake blood and other fluids projected on the audience.

On the other hand, some artists’ videos are entirely based on cult scenes from horror films. I put here the link to an article that brings together a selection of these videos.

Other

On another note, to evoke horror, rock and metal artists are inspired by more psychological elements or real facts for their works.

Avenged Sevenfold in Nightmare, the singer goes for an operation and then is taken to places where the battery of the former drummer (RIP) is torn apart as well as the other members of the group acting as mentally ill.
Slipknot in The Devil In I stages the death of the band members according to their greatest fears for them to face.
Rammstein for their title Mein Teil used a shocking fact (a really shocking one) and turned it into a song.

I must also (re)mention Ice Nine Kills. The band has specialized and is known for writing their songs from horror movies and novels, collaborating with people in the field (or related to it) and making videos resembling mini horror films. I can also confirm that the scenography of the band is in the same vein (Yes! Me and some friends attended one of their show while I am absolutely not into horror – you may have understood it – and I had a great time! I talk about it in more detail in the dedicated article right there).

Metalsploitation : what is it?

Before telling you exactly what the term metalsploitation is (because yes it exists), rock/metal and horror films got closer together thanks to:

The appearance of rock/metal artists in certain films or series,
The use of songs or even the creation of B.O. written and composed by artists of these genres in horror films.

And this link between rock/metal and horror is completely intertwined when rock/metal music is exploited, satirized, etc. in a specific category of film. This is METALSPLOITATION.

Finally, I can’t write an article about horror and rock/metal music, without mentioning the metal singer and horror director. I have designated the one and only… ROB ZOMBIE. He has released as many albums as horror films, including the House of a 1000 corpses or Halloween revisits.

Caricature Rob Zombie, rock-metal-horror

Also, how to do an article about Halloween without talking about the band Helloween, whose name was inspired by the band’s first tour on Halloween night.

So much for this article! Tell me if you are a fan of horror movies in addition to being a fan of rock and metal music.

I’ll leave you with a special Halloween playlist, and I’ll see you soon for a new post!